On The Other Hand
by Mother Nature's Daughter
Summary: On board the Black Pearl, after being rescued from the End's of the Earth, Jack has to come to a conclusion about his feelings for Elizabeth. Oneshot.


21, Nov., 2007

**Author's Note:** This fic was just _bad writing._ My grammar was horrible, my characters were OOC, and many other things. Read at your own risk the fic from my past.

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**On The Other Hand**

Jack ran his heavily ringed, and rather dirty, hand across the polished railing of his beloved ship. His eyes looked for the faintest sign of the smallest scratch; but there was none. Much as he hated to admit it, Barbosa seemed to have taken good care of his _Pearl._

Satisfied that she was well, Jack's gaze drifted over to where a young woman stood, light-brown hair blowing, wrapped in the arms of a dark-haired young man.

At first glance, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann seemed to be in love; no problems, no conflicts, no obstacles.

But if there was such a love, Jack had yet to see it.

He knew of the recent obstacle that the young couple had to overcome in the form of the pirate captain himself.

It appeared as if Elizabeth had chosen Will; had decided she had no feelings left for Jack.

"Aye, but let us take a closer look at that claim, shall we?" Jack asked himself; feeling the beginning of a full-blown argument with himself coming on. He had these often, as it were.

"Who was it, if not young Lizzie, who left the relative safety of the _Dauntless_ to follow you into a cave full of cursed pirates who couldn't die?"

"'Course," Jack mused, taking a seat on the stairs of the ship, "Upon arriving in said cave, she fought alongside Will, instead of 'elping me."

"On the other hand," Jack stroked his dreadlocked beard. "She may've decided that I, being temporarily cursed at the moment, could 'andle me own; and it was, in fact, the eunuch who needed 'er help."

"Hmm, well, we mustn't forget the fact that she _did_ burn the rum." Jack sighed. "One must never forget that rum'll never be safe near that woman again."

"On the other hand," Jack raised one hand, palm up; as if weighing two possibilities, "She did step between me and the point of the Commodore's sword."

"Yet," Jack thought on, "She did take Will's hand, did she not?"

"True enough. But, one must not forget the kiss." Jack laughed at the memory. "She kissed ye pretty 'ard, all tongue-tied and such."

"'Course it was only after that she chained ye to ye own ship and left you for the Kraken's tum-tum."

"On the other hand," Jack held up his finger, reminding himself. "It was a very piratey thing to do; being a pirate meself, I'm forced to respect that."

"Then again, it wasn't much fun being inside the Kraken's tum-tum, all slimy and such. One would think that after swallowing all those pirates and their ships it'd swallow at least _some_ rum."

"On the other hand," Jack looked at his other hand, pondering this. "Lizzie did sail to the Ends of the Earth to pull ye out and save ye, did she not?"

"But-" Jack stopped himself quickly, realizing something. "So did Will, and you ain't gonna go lovin' on him now will ye?"

Before that thought could go any further, Jack slapped his thigh and stood up. "Best not think those thoughts."

Once again his gaze drifted over to where Elizabeth was still standing, leaning against Will, his arms around her. He had his fun, joking and being ornery. Now he really had to come to a conclusion.

And it hit him. He suddenly he realized just what it was that made her different from all the other women; what attracted him to her.

"I only want her because she's not mine."

Jack, being the pirate that he is, is naturally drawn to things he couldn't have. And he couldn't have Elizabeth.

"See there?" Jack gloated to himself. "Mystery solved."

"'Sides, I could never be that 'one-woman man' Elizabeth would want me to be." Jack was sure he actually gagged a little.

"Plus," Jack continued, doing a wonderful job of convincing himself that he and Lizzie would never work out. "She burnt the rum. One must _never_ forget that."

Jack sighed again and walked back over to the railing. "One such as meself could never love Lizzie like she should be loved."

"I'm too good for her anyhow." Jack joked, sticking out his chest and walking proudly. Then he grew more serious –or as serious as one like him could get.

"I'm a pirate and will remain as such; Pillaging, plundering, pilfering and all that. Oh yes, and drinking rum. I can never forget that. Why is it that I seem to be forgetting the rum more and more often?"

Jack looked out at the horizon, the sea stretching as far as the eye can sea; the glittering, sparkling watery blue diamond that he lived for. "My only one love, as it is, is the sea."

Jack looked down at the railing of the _Pearl. _"And you, too, luv."

"And the rum. Must not forget that. Really, why is the rum always forgotten?"

Jack glanced around him. "Speaking of said yummy drink, where is that rum bottle?"

His gaze landed on that blasted undead monkey who was, in his hands, holding a very familiar –and too frequently empty- bottle.

"_MONKEY!_"


End file.
